In October they were presented with the Outstanding Bravery Award at the Mirror's Pride of Britain Awards. He described the rescue in detail, saying: "I brought the first boy out. If that hadn't worked and he had died then we would probably have stopped and said this wasn't going to happen.

"Everybody knew that, everybody knew there was potential for fatalities but at the time the thinking was if we can get a percentage of them out then it's better than leaving them in there."

Jason's colleague on the Thai football team rescue, John Volanthen, walks out from Tham Luang Nang Non cave in full kit without any response to reporter's questions. (Photo by Linh Pham/Getty Images)

Overall, 1,148 recipients are named in the 2019 New Year list, including 43 people recognised for their acts responding to the terror attacks in Manchester and London in 2017.

Some 544 women are recognised in the list, representing 47% of the total, the lowest percentage since 2013.

Overall 12% of those being honoured come from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background, 4% consider themselves disabled and 5% identify as LGBT.